Our family's active young son had what would most say was a normal childhood in high school time growing up. But in college, he started hearing voices, and got in trouble with law enforcement. Eventually, he started the all too common cycling in and out of mental health hospitals; on a treatment plan, released, stopping his treatment plan and getting into trouble over and over and over again. This young man had 43 hospitalizations before his family descended in person and with phones on our states governor’s office, begging them to enroll him in our states AOT program. He has been on the state AOT program the last 5 years, and has had no more re-hospitalizations and no involvement with law enforcement. He loves his dog and loves making music. He’s getting the care he deserves now, but it was years and years late in coming, causing much pain and anguish for the family, and millions of dollars spent by the state on his care unnecessarily.
Each story is shared by someone impacted by untreated SMI,
lightly edited for clarity, never for meaning.
Do you have an ask? If you were sitting down with your legislator, how would you ask them to help you?
Families should not have to storm the governor’s office to get their loved one into a program that finally works. Make AOT easier to access—and stop making caregivers the last line of defense.
